


You'll See

by allisondraste



Series: Temperanceverse [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Mild Sexual Content, NSFWish, Nudity, Skinny Dipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:01:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25372075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allisondraste/pseuds/allisondraste
Summary: Liss and Nathaniel take a trip to a special pond, and live out a shared teenage fantasy.
Relationships: Cousland/Nathaniel Howe, Female Cousland/Nathaniel Howe
Series: Temperanceverse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1837330
Comments: 11
Kudos: 25





	You'll See

**Author's Note:**

> Long time, no see! I've been thinking about Liss and Nate a lot lately, so I figured I'd write a one-shot to get them out of my system. This is actually a scene that I had originally planned to be in the Eplilogue of Temperance, and decided that there were other, more important things that needed to happen in that chapter. I hope those of you who read, enjoy! Thanks for stopping by.

Nathaniel awoke to a jarring shaking of his shoulders, causing him to wince and blink until the sleep faded from his eyes and he could see the source of the disturbance clearly. Liss hovered over him, face inches from his watching him expectantly as her fingers continued to grasp the sleeves of his shirt. He’d grown accustomed to her waking him up in the middle of the night, typically for comfort after a particularly bad nightmare. He never minded, but she didn’t look upset. In fact, she seemed almost giddy. 

“Wake up, sleepyhead,” she said, almost in a whisper, pressing a kiss to his cheek. 

He rose up on his elbows and glanced over at the window. “Liss, it’s still dark outside.” 

“That’s the point,” she laughed and hopped up grabbing his hand and tugging it to urge him out of bed. 

“The point of what, exactly?” 

“You’ll see.” 

Liss opened the door to the room they’d been staying in, her old bedroom that Fergus had kept vacant for her visits to Highever, and stepped out into the hallway, still in her nightgown. She motioned for him to follow her with her index finger, and so he laughed, shook his head, and did as she wanted, stone floor cold against his bare feet. She grabbed his hand as he caught up to her, lacing her fingers through his. 

“Where are we going?”

“Shh,” she snapped her head to look at him and whisper, “You’re going to wake up Fergus.” 

“Is there a reason we shouldn’t?” It felt oddly like their childhood, sneaking about Castle Cousland past their bedtime trying not to alert her parents to their mischief.

“It’s rude, Nate,” she scolded him playfully, “Not to mention, he’s a horrible grump when he’s woken early, and… well, you’ll see.” 

“You keep saying that,” Nathaniel hissed as he continued to follow behind her, “If you were anyone else, I would be concerned that I am being led to my demise.”

Liss stopped abruptly and turned to face him, smiling deviously. “How do you know I’m not?” 

He brought her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “I trust you with my life, my lady.” 

“Cut it out,” she said playfully, pulling her hand away from him, “You will not charm me out of my secrets.” 

He snorted, rather ungracefully, and she let out a laugh she’d clearly been trying to stifle. She grabbed his hand again, and continued to lead him through the hallways, down several flights of stairs, and all the way outside. He’d spent many summers in Highever, many warm days and nights by Liss’ side, hand-in-hand, allowing her to lead him into whatever trouble she desired, anything to hear her laugh and see her smile at him with glittering eyes. This time, almost eleven years since he’d left for Starkhaven, was the only time he’d ever been free to truly admire her. 

They made their way through the courtyard and out the large wooden gate. The guards on watch looked at them curiously, but did as the teyrn’s sister bade, opening and closing the door behind them. Nathaniel knew where they were going now, he no longer needed to ask. There was only one spot outside the grounds she’d want to go. 

The small pond in which they used to swim as children had not changed in the years he’d been away, untamed and wild compared to anything within the castle walls. He remembered the times he and Liss had always visited after dueling practice to cool down, how they’d always try to push the other into the water first. They would lay on the bank for hours talking as their clothes dried, linking fingers and watching the clouds. 

“You coming,” Liss called to him from the water’s edge. In his reminiscing he had not noticed her slip out of her gown, and his face grew hot at the sight of her in nothing but her smallclothes and illuminated by moonlight. 

“I… “ He rushed over to her, suddenly feeling entirely too far away and completely incapable of speech. He averted his eyes out of habit, something he had not yet been able to break. 

“That hideous, huh,” Liss asked knowingly.

“No, it’s just-” he cleared his throat and forced his gaze upward to see that she’d removed her undergarments and was now twirling them around one of her fingers.

“What?” She dropped the garments and began to wipe at her cheek. “Is there something on my face?” 

He laughed and gathered himself enough to close the distance between them, reaching out to brush a lock of curly golden hair from her shoulder. “There’s nothing on you at all,” he managed, voice low. 

Liss looked down at her own naked body and back up at him. “Huh, how about that?” 

Before Nathaniel could respond, she’d turned and jumped into the pond, sending a spray of water up to dampen his shirt and breeches. He might have been annoyed had it not been for his beautiful lover swimming to the bank, then resting her head on her arms as she peered up at him, batting those ridiculous lashes of hers. He was almost certain he’d dreamed about this before, multiple times, and he wasn’t entirely certain he was not presently dreaming. So, he just stood, bewildered and blinking down at her. 

“What’s the matter Nate,” she teased, “You look properly bashful.”

He let out an embarrassed laugh and brushed a loose strand of hair back from his face. “Would it be completely inappropriate for me to tell you that this was one of my teenage fantasies?”

“Only if, in those fantasies, you just stood there completely clothed the entire time,” she quipped, matter-of-factly. 

“Shut up,” he joked as he began unlacing his breeches and untucking his shirt. His fingers were hurried and clumsy despite the many times he’d disrobed in front of her. 

“Make me,” came her retort as she pushed away from the bank and out into the middle of the water. 

It was a game they’d played for as long as he’d known her, a little verbal spar that never failed to endear him to her even further, even when he was certain he could not become any more fond. He finished undressing and jumped in the water, swimming over to where she floated, back facing him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin in the curve of her neck, noticing how she did not stiffen at his touch, how she wasn’t even surprised to find him there so suddenly. She spun to face him, mischievous grin spreading across her lips. She shifted her gaze from him to the water between them and then back up, swiping her arm through the water so that it splashed up into his face. 

He winced reflexively as she burst out into laughter. He couldn’t help but laugh with her, as much as he wanted to be stern. “You arse.” 

“I earned that.” She swam forward to close the distance between them again, pressing her chest flush against him and reaching up to pinch his nose. “Too bad you still want to kiss me.” 

“I want no such thing,” he lied, leaning forward so that their foreheads touched, “In fact I’ve never wanted to kiss you less.” 

“I’m not convinced,” she breathed. 

“It’s the truth, my lady.” He pressed his lips to hers as gently as he could, delighting at her sharp inhale at the gesture. “I find the idea repulsive.” 

“Well-” she interrupted herself to return the kiss, allowing her lips to trail down his neck to his shoulder, which she bit playfully- “I wouldn’t want you to make yourself ill on my account.” 

She feigned an attempt to swim away but he caught her arm and pulled her back into him, tangling his hand in her damp hair. She laughed again, and he shook his head, looking down at the woman he’d loved his entire life, the one he’d dreamed about being able to kiss in the very pond where they were. His gaze must have softened as Liss’ furrowed her eyebrows. 

“What?”

“I love you,” he said, startled by the strain in his own voice. 

Liss smiled warmly, and brought a wet hand up to his cheek. “I love you, too.” 

Nathaniel had always regretted the many opportunities he’d missed to be with Liss just as he was now, all of the times he chose not to tell her how he felt, the years he’d let her think that she wasn’t the single most important person in his life. He’d come to terms with the fact that he could never take those moments back, that he wouldn’t ever get to be seventeen again, drunk on rum and the smell of her hair where he’d nearly told her he loved her. He’d never get another chance to be a stubborn thirteen-year-old sitting at the edge of the water, too afraid of his feelings and his father to play with his best friend. However, they could make new memories in those very same places, and he was more than content with that. They spent the next few hours outside under the stars, holding one another, and lying on the bank talking about everything and nothing as they watched the sun rise into the morning sky. 


End file.
